Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
Floyd Footnotes www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk Issue 15 | September 2013
of Achievement We were delighted to be able to hold another Celebration of Achievement in the marquee. The whole school, over a hundred parents and a number of governors gathered to spend two hours celebrating many of the highlights of the school year. The event was compered very capably by Laura Johnson (Head Girl) and Toby Czamota-Bojarski (Deputy Head Boy). It was my privilege to begin by recording my highlights of the year. I hung my thoughts around the 2012 Olympic motto of, “Inspire
a generation”. As the year has gone by I have been struck by how inspired I have been by the achievements of our students. A special focus of my reflection has been the extent to which our senior students have used their amazing talents to humbly support others around them who are younger and in the process of developing their own talents. A number of prizes were awarded – each tutor group in Years 7 to 10 had an award for achievement, effort and contribution to the school. Sixth formers were given academic subject prizes. Sporting stars had their achievements recognised and there were special prizes for performing arts, science and service to the school. The stellar
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prize, the Governors’ Award, was given to Bethany Edwards – our highest performing IB student - for her scholarship, contribution to the school and the fine example she has set for others. Our Guest of Honour was Hugh Chambers who has had a very successful career in advertising and was recently the Chief Commercial Officer for the London 2012 Olympics. He encouraged students to follow their passions as they plan for their futures. He suggested that the traditional choice between safe and ‘sexy’ careers was no longer as relevant as it once was. Hugh talked about many projects that he had been involved in within the motor racing field
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where creative and traditional professions worked alongside each other. The giving of prizes was interspersed with some musical items. Floyd Macappella, fresh from their success at the final of the National Music for Youth Festival in Birmingham, performed an innovative and witty arrangement of Star Wars themes. Rowan Carter, accompanied by Emma Wong, gave a moving and powerful performance of ‘Time to Say Goodbye’. The Senior Orchestra brought proceedings to a rousing close with a rendition of Strauss’s ‘Radetzky March’. The final note was accompanied by a bang (literally) and a burst of confetti showering from the roof of the tent – this was the highlight of an amazing amount of technical wizardry performed in sweltering conditions by Mr Cole and his technical team. Another school celebration event to remember! Stephen Box
Old Floydians’ News Steve Coe, who left the school in 1975 and is now living in Sheffield, has sent through the following photographs of his days at Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School. Do they jog anyone else’s memory?
Scho ol
Re-u nion 1997
School F ield Trip 1975
The
ll, Mr Hi aker Caret l o o h c S
If any Old Floydians have other photographic ‘gems’ that they would like to share with us, please send them (preferably in electronic form) to me at dskillington@bucksgfl.org.uk or by post to the school as we would like to build up a photographic record of life at our school. The first photograph is of Mr Hill, the school caretaker, taken in 1975. The next two were taken on a school field trip at about the same time. The biology teacher’s name was Glenys Dale.
rip Field T School 1975
The final photograph was taken at a school re-union in 1997. A number of the people in this later picture feature in the previous two photographs. David Skillington
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A New Year Begins
Governing Body News
We have welcomed a large number of new students into our school community this term – well over two hundred. These include 144 into Year 7, 25 into Year 8 and 60 into Year 12 plus a handful into other year groups. We now have over 1100 students on roll, the highest number of students for us ever!
There are some significant changes in our Governing Body too. Bob Jones who has been until recently our Vice Chair is leaving our Governing Body this term. Many of you will never have come across him but Bob has done some great work behind the scenes – bringing his business skills to help us think about how we present ourselves to the public. He has shared his wisdom freely and been a pleasure to work with.
We had some refurbishment work done to the buildings over the summer, most notably repairs to flat roofs and resurfacing of the tennis courts. The most exciting buildings news however is that the new sports hall has been erected, although there is still much work to be done internally.
Staffing News During last year Mrs Adkins completed over twenty-five years of service to the school. That is an impressive length of service – with much of it as a Year Leader - a job that I think is one of the most demanding roles that there is in a school. As we come to the end of the year we will be saying goodbye to a number of staff members who are moving on. Mrs Miller has been here for fourteen years teaching languages and, for most of that time, she has been a Year Leader. Mrs Miller has worked very hard and has invested a huge proportion of her emotional energy into looking after her year groups. Hundreds of students have benefited by her thoughtfulness and care. She fully deserves a long and happy retirement. Two of our teachers are moving to promoted posts – Mr Hill to be Head of Physics at Desborough School in Maidenhead and Mrs Jones to be Head of History at Akeley Wood School. Other teachers are moving on for personal reasons – Miss Skitt, Ms Gill, Mrs Jackson and Mrs Hillsdon. Ms R. Brooks and Mr Anderson are leaving to work at schools that can offer them more hours. Mrs Durose has begun her maternity leave. Mrs Blomfield our ICT Systems Manager left a few weeks before the end of the Summer Term. And Mrs Grant is leaving our Learning Development Department to start a new life in Australia! All of these colleagues have worked very hard in the interests of our students. We are grateful for all that they have done.
Another key person moving on who also may not be known to everyone is John Lawrence our Chair of Governors. He will be standing down from his post in November. Most of what governors do is unseen (probably rightly so) so few people apart from myself have been able to appreciate what John has done for the school in seven years of voluntarily giving up many, many hours of his time and much of his thinking. I can say with complete certainty that the school is in a better pace as a result of his leadership. To give some examples – The Glover Building and the three dance studios! We named the building after John’s predecessor Gill Glover as Chair of Governors in recognition of her contribution to the school. She bequeathed a substantial amount of money in her will to help fund the building. However, without John’s work there would have been no building. He made things happen with the County Council that I know I would not have achieved on my own. Thank you John for all that you have done over the past seven years. Your support, challenge and ambition for the school have been very impressive. We are grateful that you chose us for your retirement project!
International Baccalaureate Diploma Results We have now received our first set of IB Diploma results. We are delighted with them. All six students passed with an average points score of 32.8. To put these results into context. Our pass rate was 100%. Last year the world average pass rate was 77.7%, the UK pass rate was 88.8% Our average points score was 32.8. Last year the worldwide average score was 29.5 points, the UK average was 32.6 points.
The candidates who studied the Diploma had between them a wide range of ability. We have shown that we can get good results from students throughout our ability range. This success is exciting because those of us who have taught on the programme are beginning to feel that it provides a rich educational experience that is probably unique – and that is highly valued by universities.
Government-led Changes The Secretary of State has continued to make changes to the education landscape with a series of fresh announcements about qualifications and curriculums. It will be a while before we know which of these announcements will actually turn into genuine policies. We do know that there will be no examination modules in January next year so we will not have as many interruptions to the flow of our year as we have been used to. I recently heard a government minister talking about forthcoming reforms when she said that the International Baccalaureate had been the inspiration behind many of the government’s plans. From our perspective one of the attractions of the programme is that it does not get changed or meddled with by successive governments. It is controlled and revised by educationalists and does not have to respond to any bright ideas from government ministers!
Lots Going On! I hope that you enjoy reading the articles in this edition of Footnotes. You will see that we had a very busy end to last term – a fitting end to a rich year of opportunities for our students and staff. We begin this year with renewed verve to create yet another year of working together to inspire each other, challenge ourselves and produce high levels of achievement! Stephen Box Headteacher
Sports Day 2013 This year a fine day greeted us on the morning of Tuesday 25th June. The field was in immaculate condition and the students were eager and keen to perform. With much support from Sports Ambassadors and House Captains in the Sixth Form, some returning Year 11 students, Mr Dyke and Miss Dickman from the mathematics department, and a group of volunteers from the Lloyds Banking Group, the day became a roaring success. Many students from every house competed in a wide variety of field and track events and this year a pentathlon event, involving long
Congratulations go to: Mikun Vaughan Luke Radcliffe-Moore and Anson Chan and Geraint Minney Bella Dominique
jump, 800m, high jump, javelin and 100m. It was entered by a male and a female student from each house in Years 8 and Year 10, to introduce some healthy competition between some of the more able athletes. This event was won by Olivia Sheridan and Matthew Chew in Year 8, and Georgia-May Green and Ben Wright in Year 10, who also took the Victrix and Victor Ludorum trophies respectively. With such perfect weather conditions, many long standing school records for Sports Day were broken.
The final results for the day were as follows: 12.03m
Triple Jump
Ascott
14.73
Hurdles
Mentmore
200m
Claydon
1.61m 12.07 26.11 13.66 14.60
High Jump
Waddesdon
100m
Hartwell
Hurdles
518
1st
446
3rd
434
5th
468
2nd
436
4th
Hurdles
Many thanks also extend to Mrs Barber, Mrs Malone, Mrs Taylor, Mr Buckley, Mr Pettifer, Mr Skillington and the caretaking staff, for working tirelessly all day to hold such a brilliant event. Rachel Selby Faculty Leader for Physical Education
Floyd’s Olympiad Day The eagerly anticipated Floyd’s Olympiad Day came back for the second year running! Many great endeavours were planned for the day - including sporty, intellectual and recreational. The day began with a vast array of colours illuminating the marquee. After a brief yet entertaining introduction to the day, Floydians, big and small, set off to compete in their designated activities. There was a vast array of activities from monopoly to a full triathlon. When asked whether Ascott would win this year, Ascott’s main man Mr Maddocks replied he was, “Quietly confident”. Waddesdon, meanwhile, were hoping to defend their victory over Claydon.
Claydon student Alex Wadlow, who was participating in the stop-motion animation event, said that Claydon and Mentmore were doing well in this event. Meanwhile, in monopoly, Hartwell had won two matches already. Many activities were teeming with competition - drama and dance especially with all the vigorous planning and teamwork paying off. We hope everyone enjoyed the second Olympiad Day. Well done to joint winners Hartwell and Waddesdon (sorry Mr Maddocks)!
Sports Hall Building Commences! Finally, in late June, work started on the building of the Sports Hall.
The delay resulted from a number of planning conditions that had to be satisfied, including the colour of the building. I am glad to say our original submission was accepted as the most sensible option so work could begin. By the time you read this article the main steel frame of the building should be erected and the membrane covering will be about to be placed over it. This will allow the internal work on the main hall, changing rooms, storage space, class room and office to take place during the Autumn Term. Presuming that there are no further hitches, we are expecting to have the building handed over shortly before the end of the Autumn Term. This will mean that all our students will be able to use an up to date sporting facility in 2014 and beyond. For our Physical Education staff it will mean they finally have a facility that has been at the top of their ‘wish list’ for too many years. With the completion of this major development we will now have to turn our minds to what further funds we can apply for in order to build our next priority... now what could that be? Ian Bryant, Assistant Head, Support Operations
Leon Redman Leon Redman in Year 12 (far left in the photograph) was one of the crew that rowed the Queen’s Jubilee barge, Gloriana at the Henley Regatta in July. Leon is a member of Henley Rowing Club and will be attending the Great Britain potentials camp in September, hoping to be selected to join the GB Junior Rowing team. Over the summer he will also be taking part in an exchange to the picturesque island of Bled in Slovenia, where he and his fellow rowers from Henley will be competing against the local club. We wish Leon every success in the GB trials. Kathryn Chapman Year Leader for Year 12
New Captains’ Memorandum Our first few months as House Captains have been action-packed to say the least. With helping to organise Olympiad Day and Sports Day we thought we would be in for a really stressful time. However, being able to get to know everyone in our houses, and really encouraging team spirit made both events huge successes. We have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves so far and look forward to what we are sure will be an amazing year, full of inter-house activities and competition! Miles Grant (Claydon), Lottie Scoltock (Hartwell) and Hugh Britt (Ascott) The final results from 2012/13 saw Ascott back at the top and Mr Maddocks with a huge smile on his face!
Y7 Castle Competition
Hockey
Rugby
Drag Racing
Sports Day
Dance
Drama
Ascott
6
24
24
0
60
0
Claydon
8
24
18
0
12
0
Spring Term Achievements
Summer Term Achievements
Autumn Term Points
TOTAL
8
6
0
10
12
4
88
232
1st
10
16
72
170
4th
POSITION
18
6
24
6
0
2
12
12
42
142
5th
10
14
Mentmore
18
24
8
36
10
10
4
6
20
62
208
3rd
Waddesdon
8
18
14
10
48
10
6
8
20
8
80
230
2nd
Hartwell
6
Music
The sun shone and gave us its blessing on the whole week when temperatures soared reaching 30 degrees on several days. Gallons of water must have been consumed! Yet, despite baking temperatures in the marquee, our second Olympiad Day was a great success. New for the year were anthemic celebrations when a House won top points. Seeing Claydon House dance to Hendrix’s ‘Purple Rain’ or Ascott to the Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ was great fun. The staff got well into the spirit too, wearing their colours and dancing with their houses! We also had some fresh events like the games in the opening ceremony such as solve the anagram (that was cleverly connected somehow to the House building e.g. Waddesdon - Rothschild) and unravel the ball of wool around every member of the house whilst remaining seated. And there were some new competitions like gardening and designing a House banner (colourfully captured on photograph above on page 4) as well as old favourites like robot Olympics and Slam Poetry. A superb performance for the latter was given by Anita Kabambe in 6M1 (“Go MentMORE!”) which received rapturous applause after the pin drop ‘respect’ given to the rendition about inner strength and integrity in the face of modern day pressures. Thanks go to Mrs Malone who made this House event a resounding hit once more. Then, from Monday, they fished, saw
dinosaurs, saved the school from an evil threat (in the guise of a Deputy Headteacher), visited the cemeteries in Brittany, baked bread, star gazed, wrote narratives, made a pitch to two ‘dragons’ on the Senior Leadership Team, created multi-coloured knitted toys, walked in the fresh air, went to the beach, made a camp in the woods from natural resources, enjoyed the dizzy rides at Asterix Parc and Thorpe Park, explored the world of the Bard and stood on the apron stage, turned words into powerful rhetoric, concocted giant lollipops made from different confectionery, made 3D models of the school learning shield out of coloured card, rolled the dice, spoke Francais, flew kites high in the blue sky, stirred their artistic juices for a child’s book and so much more.
It was hilarious watching the playback of the video footage when the students burst into Mrs Hanham’s office shouting, “Mrs Hanham confess!” (One Year 7 boy came to see me on Wednesday morning to see if I had resigned yet …) (Simulation Day)
Great fun was had by all.
Andria Hanham Deputy Headteacher, Mentmore
Finally, a few anecdotes and snippets from the week: “Dr. Richards walks really fast, far brisker than when he is his laboratory. The sunshine seemed to give him energy.” (Walk) “Mr Box, Mrs Hanham has infected us and sold the school to become a zoo. You must sack her this instant!” Mr Box who happened to be wandering by got caught up in the drama and agreed to take matters into his hands. “I very much enjoyed listening to the interrogation of Mrs Hanham by the simulation day team after discovering her attempt to contaminate the school. The students’ commitment to character was only beaten by the said evil genius when I heard her practising her maniacal laughter in the office next door to mine.” “We heard the laughter and thought Mrs Hanham had gone mad.” The Reception Team
We Do Not Tolerate Homophobic Bullying! The message came across loud and clear in assemblies that followed attendance by a team of SHFGS students at the Anti-homophobic Bullying Conference organised by Bucks County Council. A key message was not to accept or use language and words that cause offence to others. Basically, ‘Think before you speak’ because we cannot unsay our words, once they have been spoken. The assembled groups were given a mixture of music, pictures, audience participation and some words from Laura Johnson and Harvey Grant our Head Girl and Boy on the culture of our school being tolerant, caring of individuals and inclusive of everyone. The group received praise from several members of staff for their dedication to raising awareness on the subject of homophobia and their confidence in leading the assemblies. Andria Hanham Deputy Headteacher
“That wool is staring at me!” (Knitting) “Is it okay to have a dog with three legs in my story?” (Writing) “It was great to get out in the fresh air with the teaching staff and talk to those I do not normally get a chance to speak to.” (a member of the Support Team) I wonder what next year’s Activities Week will look like ...
Some hard-working Year 12 students were the force behind the raising of £2,300 during this year’s Charity Week. The committee, pictured above at the Bake Sale, ably led by Holly Farquhar, organised activities every break and lunch time in support of the World Land Trust, a charity that works to conserve the flora and fauna of the rainforests. Students enjoyed Floyd versions of Would I Lie To You?, I’m A Teacher Get Me Out Of Here (complete with bush tucker trial) and Blind Date, as well as the usual favourites of Splat The Teacher (Mr Merrow-Smith sportingly volunteered for this), a bake sale, the traditional talent show, a dance off and recycled fashion show. The climax of the week was a glorious afternoon on the field where students were able to try their luck at an obstacle course, penalty shoot out, face painting or just enjoy ice lollies in the sun. Thank you to all of the committee and the teachers who took part in the entertainment. Kathryn Chapman Year Leader for Year 12
Visit to Birmingham University
One of the many possibilities open to us is the chance to continue our education at university. However, choosing a university and a course is no easy feat! Therefore, on the 21st June this year, we had the opportunity to visit Birmingham University for an open day to help us in making our decision about where, and when, to apply.
university offers hundreds of courses, from Advanced Golf Coaching to Urban Regeneration, alongside the arguably more popular ones like English, Foreign Languages and various science and humanities degrees. Many of the departments offered taster lectures in various subjects, in addition to giving admission talks and advice for the application process. Personally, I found the Student Life in the Medical School talk eye-opening and very informative. The showcase of medical research was motivating too.
After an early start and a long coach journey, nearly seventy students, accompanied by Mrs Chapman and Mrs Thompson, arrived at the university ready for a day of exploration to find out more about student life. The
Throughout the day, there were also talks about finance and accommodation plus tips for applicants, tours of the library and information about careers. All of these aspects are crucial to university life, and we
This year of education will be the last at Sir Henry Floyd for my fellow Year 12 students and I, and it is time to start exploring options for our future.
students were grateful for the opportunity to receive the extra advice. The sun came out in the middle of the day so we sat in the main square under the famous university clock tower with our ice creams! Overall, the long day was definitely a worthwhile experience: we were given a valuable insight as to how we would be spending the next three or more years of our lives if we do decide to go to university. Whether or not the university of my first choice will be Birmingham, the admissions advice, the finance talks and many other features of the day were general to all universities, I would therefore recommend this trip to all other students who follow us in the Sixth Form! Ellie Marshall, 6C2
IB Year 13 Examination Results It was with great pride and pleasure that I received the IB Diploma Results for May 2013 on the 5th July. All of our Year 13 students received the full International Baccalaureate Diploma which is an amazing achievement. I wish them all the very best in their university courses and future endeavours! My thanks also go to all the members of staff involved in teaching and supporting the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Embarking on a radical new curriculum offering is a major task and it would not have been possible without their dedication, resilience and expert subject knowledge.
IB CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) Report 2013 This year has been another busy one for our International Baccalaureate students who have embraced a variety of extra-curricular activities. Creativity has involved Mel Aturia taking part in Rock Challenge, Anita Kabambe singing in the Gospel Choir and Naomi Heffer performing a song from Grease in ‘A Night At The Musicals’. Six students achieved certificates in Paediatric First Aid following a two-day intensive course at Aylesbury College. Ariana Zucchi has studied for an A level in Italian alongside the IB diploma and Dexanne Balana is undertaking a course to qualify as a legal secretary. Three of the girls have organised Footlights, the lower school lunchtime drama club whilst several of the group have been appointed to the Student Senior Leadership Team, faculty Ambassador and House Captain roles. Others have served on the Charity Week Committee, taken part in Young Enterprise with their company, IB Organised and, as their team project, the whole group planned and delivered the Global Diversity Week assemblies to the entire school in the Spring Term.
For the Action element Jess Faulkner has taken part in a dressage competition and Edd Bulgarelli was invited to take part in Miranda Hart’s Comic Relief Challenge to complete a dog agility course. The students have been particularly inventive in their projects to fulfil the community service element of the programme. Katy Reece will be spending the holiday as a summer camp counsellor in the USA and three students will take part in World Challenge expeditions to the Silk Route and Malaysia. Here in the UK Liora Michlin has volunteered as a tour guide at Hughenden Manor, Emma Sirett has helped at Wing Scouts and Jamie Bird has completed the National Citizen Service award. Impressive. These are just some of the many activities in their CAS programmes. Congratulations to all of these students for a busy year both in and out of the classroom! Kathryn Chapman CAS Coordinator
IB Biology Field Trip to Flatford Mill It is definitely becoming one of the highlights of not only the IB biology course, but also of the IB Diploma Programme - the field trip to Flatford Mill. It is on the River Stour and is a biologist’s paradise, providing an excellent range of natural habitats to study in a tranquil and unique learning environment. The rich mosaic of lowland landscapes and wildlife habitats in East Anglia provided an excellent opportunity for our IB Biologists to get to the very heart of ecological sampling. The first couple of days familiarised the students with the ranges of techniques and sampling tools available which prepared them expertly to design and carry out their own independent piece of research, which following data analysis and evaluation, provided an original piece of internal assessment coursework. The days were extremely long, starting at 9am and often not finishing until 9pm (!) but I think the students were all in agreement that they enjoyed themselves immensely and valued the experience of being field biologists for five days. As always, the staff looked after us extremely well and did their utmost to cater for our needs. Dr Anona Bamford IB Diploma Co-ordinator
IB Induction Day at Missenden Abbey It was with great excitement that we organised the first ever IB-specific Induction Day on the 4th July at Missenden Abbey Conference Centre. This proved to be a very interesting and stimulating event. Prospective IB Diploma students participated in a full day of activities ranging from ice-breakers to talks on ‘How to be a successful IB student’ as well as sessions on the core elements of the programme namely the ‘Extended Essay – what is it and where to begin’ and ‘Community Action and Service (CAS)’. My thanks go to Mrs Kathryn Chapman and Mrs Rosanna Montalbano from Oxford Study Centre for delivering these sessions. Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is the thread that runs through all aspects of the IB Diploma programme. In essence it is very similar to epistemology courses run by many universities and, whilst it may appear daunting in its goals. It is an extremely
valuable and intellectually stimulating part of the course. Mrs Graham along with several of the current Year 12 students gave an interactive and entertaining introduction to TOK that got our prospective IB students thinking about ‘How do we know what we know?’ by stimulating their sense perception, reason, emotion and language. These are all ways of knowing.
who are choosing online subject options will truly be part of a global classroom in the coming year!
The IB Organisation strives to be at the forefront of all aspects of teaching and learning and it was with great interest that our students listened to a talk from Pamoja – the online learning arm of the IB. Pamoja Education works in close collaboration with the International Baccalaureate to develop and deliver authorised online Diploma courses. They are dedicated to supporting the IB in their efforts to increase global access of the programme. Josey Jenkins from Pamoja kindly offered to ‘walk’ the students through what it is like to be an online learner and we all marvelled at the capabilities of the Pamoja system. With the use of audio visual tools, wikis, discussion tools, news feeds and live lessons I think it is an extremely exciting time to be a learner. Our students
“I found that the talk about the Motivation – Vision Board the most useful in preparing myself for the IB programme because it helped me to think more about my personal goals for me to achieve in the future.”
The feedback from the students was extremely encouraging and I hope that it has provided them with the springboard that they need to make a great start to their IB Diploma programme.
“How to be a successful IB student was my favourite session for many reasons; the speaker was excellent in communicating the key points, and did so in an engaging and interesting manner.” “I found the icebreakers key for preparation. They allowed me to become more comfortable with the idea of the IB and the peers I would work with.”
Alternatives to University Many students are now looking at vocational careers as viable alternatives to going down the traditional route of university. Young people wanting to explore their options can find out about apprenticeships via the National Apprenticeship Service website which lists vacancies. They can also get help online, via email and telephone from the National Careers Service. Lists of current vacancies in the South of England are emailed out regularly to our Sixth Form students. Some students largely motivated by the recent rise in tuition fees are looking
for schemes that are equivalent to degree programmes but, unlike a degree, everything is paid for, training is quicker and skills are learned that employers seek. Last year the government invested around £1.5 billion in apprenticeships, and so now there are more opportunities for young people in a growing number of sectors ranging from supply chain management to agriculture. Far from being an alternative route for those who are not ‘academic’, apprenticeships offer learning and career opportunities for all. Higher level apprenticeships (HLAs) are equivalent to degree-level qualifications and beyond and are increasingly commonplace. Last year there were 3700 HLAs available (up by 67.6% on previous year) and this is on the
IB University Fair at St Antony’s College, Oxford University On the 8th July our current Year 12 IB Diploma students attended an IB specific University Fair at St Antony’s College Oxford. This gave them a great opportunity to consider the many choices available to them once they complete their studies. Approximately twenty universities were there on site and students could chat to representatives and admission advisors about course options and find out about the kind of IB Diploma grades and total point scores they are looking for. Our students welcomed this opportunity and felt the afternoon to be worthwhile.
rise. Major companies such as Siemens are also embracing the HLA option, offering courses in engineering, project management, business administration, IT and finance. There has never been more choice for our students and we will support them as much as we can in their applications and in making the best career choices. Dr Anona Bamford
Looking Ahead Spurred on by the great success of our Year 13 students we are hopeful that our next cohort of IB Diploma students will maintain the trend. Our intake for this September is on the up with enquiries about the IB occurring on a daily basis. This is very encouraging and I think that parents and students alike are becoming more aware of and familiar with the idea of taking an internationally recognised qualification that maintains not only depth but also breadth in their child’s education. This is such an important aspect as equipping our students with a wide range of skills is at the heart of our learning journey here at Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School. For more information on the IB Diploma Programme please come to our Sixth Form Open Evening on the 14th November from 6.00 - 8.30pm or feel free to contact me for more information. Dr Anona Bamford IB Diploma Co-ordinator
e g n e l l a Ch In 2012 we had great success at the Rock Challenge event and winning our regional heat at Stevenage Leisure Centre and then going on to win the Southern Open Final at Portsmouth Guildhall as well.
We initially auditioned over a hundred students in Years 9 to 13 and selected sixty-eight to be part of our cast and stage crew. We decided to use the theme from the film ‘In Time’ exploring the idea of time being money and people trading in time instead of money, so that the rich live forever whilst the poor die young. Selecting the soundtrack, planning the narrative, designing costumes and set plus creating choreography ensued in the coming months. We also rehearsed three lunchtimes a week during this period.
This meant that we would now be part of the Premier Division of the event competing against schools from across the South of England including Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, West Sussex, London and The Isle of Wight. All schools in the Premier Division have had success in previous years in the Southern Open Finals.
The standard of competition was extremely high and we managed to secure awards for “Press Coverage”, “School Community Support” and “Concept Originality”. Just being part of the Premier Division of the event is something the students should feel rightly proud of and they were a credit to the school - on stage and off. I was extremely
pleased with the final performance and feel privileged that I can work with such a talented, hard working and enthusiastic group of students! I would like to thank all the parents for their continued support, including a significant number who came all the way to Portsmouth to watch. I would also like to thank two local companies who sponsored us for the event: Aylesbury Lions Club and JMP Media Ltd. One of our parents Jamie Scott (www. jamiescottphotographer.com) also produced and sold DVD and photograph packages of our school production ‘A Night at the Musicals’ to raise money for the event. We also raised £1000 by running two dance showcases in school. Sara Durose Subject Leader for Dance
Stuart Duncumb (Year 13 student, participant of Rock Challenge for the past 5 years) also has this to say about the event: Over the five years of taking part in Rock Challenge there has been a mixed bag of emotions. As nervous novices in the first year, we turned up knowing nothing about it, felt jubilation and surprise at second place in our second year, maybe a little disappointment in the third year due to (if I may say) premature confidence in our piece, then ecstatic disbelief followed by downright wonder in our succession of first places last year and finally, the general enjoyment and excitement of taking part this year and an acceptance (for me at least) that, “Okay, we are actually quite good aren’t we?” This year, because of our wins last year in the heats and the Southern Finals last year, we were automatically raised to the grand-sounding “Premier Division” and thus would only be competing in the “Premier Final” at Portsmouth. I think we were all in the knowledge that this time the competition would be very tough. All the other schools had won their own respective heats and finals as well. However, this did not faze me personally, as I have had four years worth of knowledge that Rock Challenge is an amazing day and fantastic experience in itself, regardless of the final outcome. I brought in a favourite phrase of mine - “Live with what you get and make the most of it” and I think it is one that applies well to the Rock Challenge experience.
Parents Society Welcome back to the new academic year to all students and staff and a special welcome to all our new students and their families. We hope everyone will enjoy their time at Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and look back on the next few years as some of the best in their lives! We would like to thank everyone who supported our fundraising efforts last year. With fantastic support from students, parents and staff, we are delighted to confirm that we were able to raise a total of £8874. This total was less than the amount raised in 2012 as we were not able to run a Race Night event in the Spring Term, but we are very pleased with the result, as we have been able to use the funds to support your school in many different ways. The table below shows how you have helped us to raise this money over this year and the previous five years – we have aimed to allocate the funds in ways which will benefit
Support Unit for ICT equipment, £1500 to the Music Department for a new piano, and £5,585 towards the school cricket wicket. £5,000 will also be earmarked from this year’s total for equipment for the new Sports Hall due to open in November.
The Floyd Flottery: a monthly draw where 50% of the money goes to the school and 50% is paid out in prize money. Last year the quarterly prize fund hit £300!!! More details are on the website and an application form is enclosed with this edition of Footnotes.
Over the past six years a total of £47,220 has been donated to the school by the Parents Society as a direct result of fundraising initiatives – thank you to everyone who has made this possible. So our challenge for this year – beat last year’s total and aim to fundraise a minimum of £10,000! We have a number of great events lined up for this term and the year ahead, and more details of these can be found on the Parents Society page on the School web site:
The Giving Machine: if you shop on the internet through the Giving Machine, retailers will pay a percentage of money spent to a nominated beneficiary at no additional cost to the buyer. So far we have received commission of over £1080 paid to SHFGS through The Giving Machine. Full details in the advert below and at www.thegivingmachine.co.uk
Year 7 Family Challenge: Friday 18th October, 7pm with supper included – open to all new year 7 students and their families. An opportunity to meet your children’s new friends and their parents, exchange contact details and get to know others from your tutor group. Full details will be sent out shortly with ticket application forms on the school website. Paintballing for Years 9, 10 and 11: Saturday 5th October, 9am - 4pm – Get your tutor group together and challenge your year group! Keep an eye out for more details via e-mail and communicated to your tutor groups over the next few weeks. Christmas Fayre: Saturday 16th November, noon - 3pm – we hope the whole family will be able to join us for an afternoon of festive fun. Christmas Raffle Draw: Friday 13th December - if anyone is able to help with donations of prizes for this fundraiser we would be most grateful. Amongst other events planned for the Spring and Summer terms, we are aiming to hold a Quiz Night, a Girls’ Night Out and a Years 7 and 8 Disco to top up the fundraising.
the whole School – we have made various donations including £1,500 to the Learning
We would love everyone to come to all our events, but realise this is impractical for some people. However, you can still contribute to our fundraising initiatives from home by supporting our raffles, joining The Floyd Flottery and shopping via The Giving Machine.......
Fund Matching Schemes: do you work for an employer who offers to match funds raised by charity? Many employers enable employees who have been involved with charitable fundraising activities to apply for a matching donation of up to £500. You do not need to be a member of the Parents Society Committee, just participating in the event and a contribution in helping out is enough in some cases. Please check with your employer if they offer such a scheme – every donation helps! Thinking of joining the Parents Society Committee? – we would love to hear from you – new members are always welcome, especially as some of our longer standing members are moving on this year. We are particularly interested in filling the post of Treasurer on the Committee, as our current (and long-standing!) Treasurer, Gaynor Bull, will be standing down from the committee this month. No finance experience is necessary for the role, and you would receive a full handover from Gaynor, so do please let us know if you are interested. Autumn Term Committee meetings are planned for Monday 16th September, Monday 7th October (our AGM) and Monday 4th November at 7.30pm at school – everyone is welcome to attend and it would be great to have more people interested in joining the committee for this year. If you can help in any way please contact us by e-mail: parentssociety@sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch. uk. Or contact us via the school reception on 01296 424781, and do have a look at our new web site page!
Fundraise While You Shop!
If you are shopping on the internet for wine, furniture, iTunes, gifts or even flights, please take a moment to log onto The Giving Machine at www.thegivingmachine.co.uk. Register yourself and select Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School as your nominated beneficiary. There are hundreds of shopping sites accessible through The Giving Machine including Amazon, M&S, Tesco, Asda, BA, Boden, Next, E-Bay, Argos, John Lewis and many more. The Floyd will earn a percentage of the value of items bought, which varies by retailer at no additional cost to the purchaser. Think how much we could fundraise without any effort at all if everyone at school logged onto The Giving Machine when shopping on the internet! Please support your school and log onto www.thegivingmachine.co.uk
Summer of expeditions The Summer Term saw the completion of the expedition section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme. Thirty eight students taking the Bronze Award completed the last of their three weekends trekking and camping out locally overnight. They are to be commended for coping with carrying their full backpacks throughout the hottest weekend of the year, quite a change from the freezing temperatures that they encountered on their first expedition. They will now be completing the remaining sections of their award over the summer and completing the evidence on line. We should see a lot of certificates and badges arriving in school during the new academic year. The fourteen students taking the Silver Award spent their final expedition in the White Peak District in Derbyshire. As one intrepid student remarked, “There are some quite large hills to trek over here!” Thankfully the weather was good, and the breeze helped everyone keep reasonably
cool as they managed an average of twenty kilometres on each of the three days. As with the Bronze Award, the students will now complete their online information in order to achieve the award. It has been interesting for the staff members involved (to whom our thanks go for giving up their weekends) to see how the students have developed their outdoor living skills over the three expeditions. Tents now go up with accomplished skill, backpacks are generally well packed and have a balanced load to carry, and culinary skills have been honed over stoves. Navigation has improved and, occasions where teams have strayed off course (never say, ‘Lost!’) have become uncommon. Even the occasional blister has become rarer as soft feet have become hardened! The students are all to be congratulated for getting this far. We would like to also say thank you to David Goss, our Duke of Edinburgh provider, for his patience and unending support for our students; without him we would not be able to offer this worthwhile programme. So as one expedition year comes towards its close, a new one starts. Our launch meetings for Duke of Edinburgh Awards will take place on Thursday 12th September: Bronze (Year 10) at 6.00 p.m. and Silver (Years 11, 12 13) at 7.15 p.m. We look forward to seeing new groups of students who are up for a challenge along with their parents for an informative evening. Ian Bryant Assistant Head, Support Operations
Trinity College London
Drama & Musical Theatre Exam Success Every year the drama department runs Trinity College Speech and Drama, Acting and Musical Theatre Graded examinations.
2013 has been a particularly successful year with all candidates gaining merits and distinctions. Congratulations to: Farah Shah 7A and Brooke Moon 7M ( Distinctions at Grade 3 ), Joe Kennett 9H and Matthew Travers 8M (Merit Grade 3), Ross Campbell 9A and Jessica Hopkins 9A (Distinction Grade 5), Shaun Nolan 9H (Merit Grade 5), Lauren Kendall 10H (Merit Grade 4), Alice Cromwell 10M, and Ebun Osubu 10M (Distinction Grade 5). Particular mention must go to Anna Hale 11C who gained a High Distinction at Grade 4 Gemma Steele 10C and Gabriel Steele 10H who both gained Distinctions for their Grade 8 acting in pairs examination. The examiner this year was also an OFSTED inspector and he was very impressed that the school offered this extra-curricular opportunity to the students and was most impressed with our highly articulate students. Well done to all concerned! Sue Whitfield Teacher of Drama
UKMT Mathematical Circle Event 2013 On the 1st and 2nd of July, myself and a fellow student attended a two day mathematical programme at Watford Grammar School for Girls. This incredible opportunity explored and expanded our numerical skills to an extraordinary level. We were taught by several experts within the mathematical field, including Professor Neumann, a lecturer at Oxford University and Julian Gilbey, a comical and passionate man, who has a Mathematics PhD. We delved into challenging topics which included Permutations, Polyhedra, Polar Coordinates,
Euclidian Geometry and Bicycle Curves. I had not previously studied these thoughtprovoking subjects, but I quickly adapted and thoroughly enjoyed the event. The flawlessly planned day really stretched my ability and gave me a taster of mathematics in the real world. The course also enabled me to converse and exchange thoughts with thirty-nine other young enthusiastic mathematicians, who had travelled from all areas of South East England. The seminar increased and widened my independence and maturity. I travelled by train during rush hour; from Milton Keynes Central to Watford Junction. I felt extremely out of place. The commuters were
immaculately dressed to impress, nonchalantly sipping their cups of Costa coffee. A sincere thank you must be given to Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School’s mathematics faculty who gave me the opportunity to attend. I must also applaud the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust and Watford Grammar School for organising a fantastic event. It has certainly inspired me to pursue a career in Maths. They even provided participants with a free lunch, biscuits and juice! Daniel Helm, 10W
Sixth Form Induction Day on 27th June On my first day as their newly appointed Year Leader, it was a great pleasure to be part of the Sixth Form team and extend a very warm welcome to our prospective lower sixth students on Induction Day.
internal and external, pay tribute to this. Below are some of their comments from the evaluation forms:
met some new people.”
Tutor Session:
“All very interesting, well planned and well executed. Great teachers!”
Of course, the students who are new to us will only be “externals” for a short while; they will very rapidly be absorbed into this very friendly year group and it will seem as though they’ve always been here.
“It enabled me to make friends for the day.”
External students are sometimes anxious, especially coming from upper schools to a grammar school but they can rest assured that new students achieve as highly here as our home-grown Floydians. After all, they have been among the top performing students in their schools; they have developed good independent study skills and often considerable resilience, being determined to achieve in classes where there have sometimes been obstacles such as challenging behaviour. Many members of staff worked hard to make the Sixth Form Induction Day so successful. The responses from the students, both
“The style of ice-breaker allowed for info to be exchanged and so common ground uncovered.”
“The two games were fab (I won both!) and it was a nice way to meet new people.”
“It was a fun way of getting to know the external students and a nice way to start the day.” “My Form Tutor was very welcoming which took any awkwardness away quickly.” Taster Lessons: “Interesting taste of what IB is going to be like.” “They were excellent. We got an idea of what we’ll be doing and the level of work, and I
“They were really good and got me thinking.”
“I could really feel the learning atmosphere in this school.” Best Part:
“The ice-breakers, as meeting new people was what I was most worried about.” “How challenging the lessons were.” Overall: “Everyone was very welcoming and friendly.”
“Fantastic! Can’t wait to start!” Alyson Perrett Year Leader for the new Year 12
WORLD CHALLENGE 2013
Silk Route - Team 1
A Snapshot from a First Day in the East After a thorough build-up day and a night spent sleeping in school we set off on the Tuesday morning prepared with a full English breakfast inside us... courtesy of the AiP catering team who came in early to prepare this for us. A flight east to Moscow lost us three hours, and a further flight south lost a further two hours in addition. We arrived safely in Bishkek at 5.15 a.m. somewhat tired but nevertheless very excited about our first experience of Kyrgyzstan - the image of the snowy peaks above the flat plain impressed us all. Our first day in the country was spent researching food, accommodation, transporters all helped by Katya, our Russian translator and source of all local information. Bishkek is a low key capital city with wide tree lined boulevards, Soviet era concrete blocks of flats and large scale monuments. In contrast the bazaar is a vast network of narrow lanes bordered by stalls containing a huge range of fruit, vegetable, spices, meats and cookware. The students absolutely loved the experience of seeing this feast for the eyes and planning what they need to purchase in preparation for the two treks that started on Friday 19th July, the last day of the school year.
Dates for your Diary Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School | www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk
September 2013 Monday 2nd – Tuesday 3rd
Staff Training – School closed to students
Wednesday 4th
Years 7 and 8 with Year 10 ‘Buddies’, plus Year 13 in school
November 2013 Wednesday 6th
Ski Trips Information Evening Years 7 - 10 at 6.00 p.m.
Years 11 - 13 at 7.15 p.m. Thursday 14th
Sixth Form Open Evening between 6.00 p.m. - 8.30
Saturday 16th
Parents Society Christmas Fayre 11.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.
Bronze award at 6.00 p.m.
Tuesday 12th
Year 12 ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ in High Wycombe
Silver award at 7.15 p.m.
Wednesday 20th
Year 12 Parents Consultation Evening from 5.00 p.m.
Thursday 18th
Open Evening between 6.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.
Friday 29th
WC Ethiopia – Stay-awake-a-thon Years 7 and 8
Monday 23th - Friday 27th
Open Mornings at 9.30 a.m.
Wednesday 25th
Success in the Sixth Form Evening at 6.30 p.m.
Friday 27th
WC Ethiopia Expedition Planning Meeting at 3.45 p.m.
Thursday 5th
All years groups in school. Year 12 Team Challenge
Saturday 7th
Year 11 Geography Trip to Snowdonia returns
Thursday 12th
Duke of Edinburgh Awards Information Evening
October 2013 Tuesday 1st
Open Evening between 6.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.
Friday 11th – Sunday 13th
World Challenge Ethiopia Training Expedition
Saturday 5th
Parents Society – Years 9 - 11 Paintballing
Monday 7th
Parents Society AGM at 7.30 p.m.
Thursday 10th
All staff and students - Individual Photographs
Thursday 17th
Year 7 and New Year 8 Parents & Tutors Meetings from
World Challenge 2015 Parents Meeting at 7.00 p.m. 4.00 p.m.
Friday 18th
Parents Society - Year 7 Family Challenge at 7.00 p.m.
Tuesday 22nd
Year 11 Parents Consultation Evening from 5.00 p.m.
Wednesday 23rd
Autumn Concert at 7.00 p.m.
Monday 29th – Friday 2nd Nov
HALF TERM
World Challenge 2015 Students Meeting at 3.45 p.m.
p.m. inc. IB
7.00 p.m. – 7.00 a.m.
December 2013 Monday 3rd
Year 13 Parents Consultation Evening from 5.00 p.m.
Tuesday 10th
Parents e-Safety Information Evening at 7.00 p.m.
Friday 13th
Parents Society Christmas Raffle Draw
Wednesday 18th
Christmas Celebration at St. Mary’s Church at 7.00 p.m.
Monday 24th – Friday 4th January
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY
January 2014 Tuesday 7th
A level Presentation Evening at 7.00 p.m.
Thursday 16th
Year 9 Parents Consultation Evening from 5.00 p.m.
Wednesday 29th
Year 9 GCSE Options Evening at 7.00 p.m.
Thursday 30th
Year 11 GCSE Revision Skills Parents Evening at 7.00 p.m.
DofE Gold Information Evening at 6.00 p.m.
Support Parents Society fundraising from home! An application form is available on Parents Society page of school website.
Quarterly prize fund of around £300!
Please see the school website for a complete set of dates and events www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk
Dates are liable to change. Please see the school website for an up to date information www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk
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